Wednesday, 23 January 2008

After that basic fried rice recipe in that last post, I thought it would be timely to introduce this fried rice variant that is quite popular in the part of the world where I came from. In Thai restaurants or food stalls, Thai pineapple fried rice is often served in a pineapple shell (a pineapple cut in half lengthwise and then hollowed out - just as Little Corner of Mine has done here). The presentation is stunning, the aroma is mouth-watering and the main dish itself is delicious. It is a slightly unusual dish with the use of fruit in a fried rice but works well with a good balance of the savoury and the sweet. Sometimes, toasted cashew nuts and pork floss are added on top as garnish.

I did not have any whole pineapple available but tinned pineapples work well as a substitute. If you do have whole pineapples at hand though, this would be a great dish to cook up for a dinner party as all the ingredients can be prepared ahead of time and then put together very quickly, and it looks fantastic when brought to the table.

Heat a wok or large frying pan till hot, add some cooking oil and stir fry the shallots, garlic and ginger until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the prawns and cook until just turning pink. Add the rice, and stir fry for a few minutes to heat through. Add the soy sauce, fish sauce, sugar, turmeric powder and sliced chillies and continue to stir fry to mix evenly.

Finally, add the peas, pineapple chunks and raisins and mix until thoroughly heatedthrough. Garnish with chopped spring onions or coriander and serve.